THANJAVUR: Silk handloom weavers and traders in the traditional silk saree production town of Tirubhuvanam in Thanjavur district shut shop on Tuesday as a mark of protest against imposing GST on handwoven silk fabrics and their raw materials.
Having been fighting for complete withdrawal of GST on handloom silk fabrics, the recent hike of GST from the existing 5 per cent to 12 per cent came as a rude shock for the weavers. Following this, the Tirubhuvanam silk handloom weaving trade protection committee called for a bandh on Tuesday.
Protesters demanded GST exemption for handloom silk fabrics and their inputs, as given to khadi. They also pointed out that as raw silk yarn prices have risen from Rs 4,000 a kg to Rs 6,000 a kg, the prices of silk sarees would also go up. This would lead to glut in sarees produced by weavers, they said, demanding subsidy for raw silk yarn.
The protesters also wanted the government to import raw yarn and distribute it to weavers, without giving scope for hoarding. Various political parties extended support to the protesters. It may be noted that Tirubhuvanam silk sarees have the Geographical Indication tag.